Daily Bible Devotionals

“But the land you are entering to possess is a land of mountains and valleys, watered by rain from the sky. It is a land the Lord your God cares for. He is always watching over it from the beginning to the end of the year.” Deuteronomy 11:11-12 (HCSB)

When people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, their lives are transformed. They cease to become slaves to sin, and they begin a new life as children of God, co-inheritors with Messiah. We call that transformation, “Salvation” or “Deliverance.”

Israel was delivered from homelessness and saved from slavery and oppression. From out of Egypt, they were led (for the first time) into their own homeland. It was an inheritance secured by God’s promise to their forefathers.

If you asked an Israelite at that time, “Are you saved?” He’d answer, “Yes!” If you asked, “Have you been delivered?” He’d answer, “Absolutely!” And he’d be right in saying so. If you asked if he had seen both great trouble and great victory at the hand of God, the Israelite would also answer in the affirmative, “God was with us in the mountains and the valleys!”

Today’s verse in Deuteronomy 11 is a sober reminder that there will be “Mountains and Valleys.” We will have good times as well as bad ones. I once heard a man say, “We were created to live between Bethel and Ai. That is, we cannot sustain either spiritual “highs or “lows.” God teaches and tests us at both ends of the spiritual spectrum, but men (in this World) are not suited to reside in either.

Today’s verse is a gracious reminder that whether we are high on the mountain or down in the valley, God is there. He cares about us, so He cares for us. He is always here and watches over us. He is all-powerful, so He is mighty to save us. He is all-knowing, so He knows how to care for us. Finally, His character never changes so that we can depend on Him.

Each year may present both great spiritual moments and times we would rather forget. Still, the Lord is ever-present and ever-caring. He is Holy, Merciful, and Gracious. Perhaps, now is a good time to praise Him!

“The Lord said to me at that time, ‘Cut two stone tablets like the first ones and come to Me on the mountain and make a wooden ark. I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets you broke, and you are to place them in the ark.’” Deuteronomy 10:1-2 (HCSB)

Today’s passage is a wonderful picture of God’s grace. Israel had willingly sinned against the Lord by making a golden image, yet He gave them a second chance.

It has been argued that Israel should not have been held accountable for the calf because the 10 commandments had not been given at that time. Not so.

The “tablets” had not been delivered, but the Lord had already spoken His commandments directly to the hearts of each Israelite. This was prior to Moses’ ascension of the mountain to receive the tablets. Scripture tells us each person had heard the voice of God from the fire on the mountain.

“Then the Lord spoke to you from the fire. You kept hearing the sound of the words but didn’t see a form; there was only a voice. He declared His covenant with you.” Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Think of the scenario in terms of a standard business contract. A contract is binding when two people agree to the terms, whether written or not. First, the two parties get together and define the terms. Once they agree on the terms, a formal contract may be drawn up, but a verbal contract is still binding as long as there are two witnesses.

When speaking to Israel, the Lord says, “I call heaven and earth as witness against you.” Deuteronomy 4:26 The covenant had mutual terms and sufficient witnesses. Hence, Israel was already “under contract” before the commandments were written on tablets.

Here’s the grace of this passage: After Israel had broken their contract (so soon after entering it), God allowed Moses to go back up with blank tablets. He (the Lord) literally gave them a “blank slate”! From there, God re-wrote the 10 commandments.

The word “Torah” does not mean “Law” (although it has become synonymous with “law”). “Torah” means “Teaching.” God’s purpose for mankind is not just to give us a standard and say, “Live under it or die!” He is also patient and compassionate to TEACH us how and why we should trust Him. His desire is to commune with us, even more than our desire to commune with Him. It has been said that the Bible is the story of 1) God’s desire to redeem men and 2) mankind’s efforts to redeem themselves apart from God.

God is the Holy and Righteous Judge; His Commands are the standard by which all mankind will be weighed. Since our salvation comes exclusively through Messiah Jesus, it further heightens our appreciation of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. (Hebrews 2:1-4)

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Deuteronomy 9. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,’ but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant He swore to your fathers, as it is today.” Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (HCSB)

I have been in the music business all my adult life. Since 1990, I have been recording music for commercial release, and I suppose I will do it forever. So much of my identity, how people know and value me, is due to my success as an artist.

My most successful season in the music business was with a band called “Big Tent Revival.” Having been the chief songwriter and lead vocalist of that group, it seemed logical to me that when we disbanded for a season (2001-2012), I would have success as a solo artist. Not so.

In 2002, I released a solo project. “SO-LO” is right! It was “so low” on the charts that almost nobody knew I had a CD! I remember thinking, “It’s the same voice and songwriter people were buying last year, so what’s the deal?” While there may have been more strategic marketing things we could have done, the bottom line is that the Lord didn’t prompt favor for my CD in the marketplace. It took a long time for me to accept that.

At the core of God’s lessons for me during that particular “wilderness” period was the reality that my success never had anything to do with my “talent.” Sure, God has gifted me to see things from creative angles, and He has given me the ability to sing, but success (or lack thereof) is completely under God’s sovereign control. Here are a couple of verses to back up that thought:

“It’s not by might or by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord.” Zechariah 4:6 (NKJV)

“Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it” Psalm 127:1 (NKJV)

Why would God keep me from selling records? I don’t know, but I’ll ask Him when I see Him if I’m not caught up worshipping Him for all eternity! Personally, I believe He “dried up my stream” to teach me some lessons and direct me to where I am now, writing you this devotional. Years ago, I never would have chosen to work for churches, teach coffeehouse Bible studies, or any number of other things I have done recently, simply because I am not consumed with the music business anymore. And He has led me here, sitting at my computer, sharing my wilderness lessons with you.

“The Lord your God will drive out these nations before you little by little. You will not be able to destroy them all at once; otherwise, the wild animals will become too numerous for you. The Lord your God will give them over to you and throw them into a great confusion until they are completely destroyed.” Deuteronomy 7:22-23 (HCSB)

How do you eat an elephant? One-bite-at-a-time.

Perhaps, someone will approach you today with this challenge: “Let’s eat an elephant.” You’d think they were crazy! But what if they said, “We’re going to eat as much elephant as we can today. Then, we’ll put the rest in the freezer. We’ll keep eating elephant every day, and in a year, we’ll have eaten it all.”

That’s a reasonable plan, primarily because humans don’t have the capacity to hold a whole elephant in their stomachs!

The inhabitants of Canaan were Israel’s “elephant.” They were bigger and stronger than Israel, but that wasn’t why God delayed Israel’s conquering them. God destroyed Egypt in a day, and He could destroy any nation, any day, if He desired. Israel had to learn that God’s promise could be trusted even if gratification was delayed. It was a test of faith, of patiently enduring.

God staggered Israel’s conquests for practical reasons, as well. For instance, millions of rotting corpses would attract wild animals. These beasts would grow and multiply on the flesh of the slain. Having developed a heightened taste for humans, these animals would have become too numerous and voracious for the Israelites. That’s just one example.

Our generation could learn much from this chapter. First off, deliverance (eternal salvation) does not mean your spiritual battles are over. In many ways, they’ve just begun. It’s not like you were resisting the flesh much before you were saved by Jesus!

The “former inhabitants” of our flesh are the carnal, fleshly desires we were once enslaved. Once delivered from their authority, the Lord gives us the command to drive out those old desires, thoughts, and actions.

The new believer is much like Jesus’ friend, Lazarus. Once Lazarus was raised from the dead, Jesus charged Lazarus’ friends to take off his “grave clothes.” Little by little, layer upon layer, believers must fight (alongside others in a healthy Christian community) to rid ourselves of our “old masters.”

Here’s the encouragement: If you fight the battle as He commands, the Lord ENSURES your victory. It shouldn’t be enough to have your eternity secured by grace through faith. God also wants us to enjoy an abundant life on earth. Sometimes, an abundant life must be seized through a personal spiritual battle. God supplies the victory when we employ faithful perseverance to see the battle won.

“When your sons ask you in the future, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances, which the Lord our God has commanded you?’ tell him, ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out with a strong hand. Before our eyes the Lord inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh and all his household, but He brought us from there in order to lead us in and give us the land that He swore to our fathers. The Lord commanded us to follow all these statutes and to fear the Lord our God for our prosperity always and for our preservation, as it is today. Righteousness will be ours if we are careful to follow every one of these commands before the Lord our God, as He commanded us.” Deuteronomy 6:20-25 (HCSB)

It has been said the most powerful tool of evangelism is the testimony. Skeptics will argue the existence of God, the deity of His Son, the authority of the Bible, etc. The one thing nobody can refute is your experience. Nobody can take away your testimony, combined with the observable change in your life, your “I once was blind, but now I see.”

Deuteronomy 6:20-25 is basically a scripted testimony. It is the predictable conversation between a father and son. This scenario assumes the father is faithfully obeying the Lord, thus prompting the son to ask, “Why?” If you have never had this conversation with your father (or children), I can guarantee there is a breakdown somewhere in Biblical paternal leadership.

I love the innocence of the child’s question. I remember the first time my kids asked why we have a parental block on our TV, and I had to explain that not everyone loves God. My kids have always been in safe, open Christian communities, so we literally have to teach them not to trust everyone.

In today’s passage, the child has known nothing but freedom and God’s blessing. He has to be taught about bondage and slavery. Who better to teach a son than a father? What more believable testimony than from the one who should be most trustworthy?

This testimony is also a reminder that when we share our faith, we should include three elements: Past, Present, and Future.

“I was ONCE in bondage, but God delivered me.” “The Lord commanded us to follow Him for our prosperity and preservation as it is TODAY.” Righteousness WILL BE ours if we follow Messiah (who fulfilled the commandments for us), as we are commanded.”

“Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am proclaiming as you hear them today. Learn and follow them carefully. The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. He did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke to you face to face from the fire on the mountain. At that time I was standing between the Lord and you to report the word of the Lord, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up to the mountain.” Deuteronomy 5:1-5a (HCSB)

I encourage people to read the Bible a chapter a day because most people who call themselves “believers” don’t even consistently read the Bible. Consequently, they don’t share their faith. As a matter of fact, only 11% of all Christians in America have read the Bible cover to cover, and only 9% have read it more than once! Because of this, a very small percentage of Christians do all the kingdom-building.

Kingdom-building takes a significant amount of faith. The Bible teaches that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” To have the maximum impact on our generation, we must ALL become Biblically literate. This is not just because we need Biblical content to share with others. It is also because the FAITH we need to draw from, which emboldens us to evangelize (and to do so from a proper Biblical contextual understanding and application), comes exclusively from God’s Word.

In today’s passage, Moses instructs Israel concerning God’s commands and exhorts them to listen and learn. His words are similar to our “read the Bible every day” challenge.

With the giving of God’s Commandments, Israel’s covenant with God enters into a new stage. Previously, the covenants between God and the patriarchs had simply been a covenant of “righteousness by faith.” Here, the covenant has become “codified.” There is now a written standard from which “faith” will be measured.

While it is a “new” covenant, it is actually a continuance, a “God v 2.0”, as it were. It’s not that it was new in that it replaced the former covenant. It simply explained, in further detail, what God’s heart and intentions for His people had always been. This new covenant improved general faith in God, but it was never intended to supply salvation. It exposed (to a greater extent) man’s inability to meet God’s standard.

On a soul level, Israel already knew they were inadequate to personally commune with God. They preferred for Moses to “stand in the gap” and mediate between them and God.

The “New Testament” is actually the “New Covenant” (B’rit HaDashah in Hebrew). (Jeremiah 31:31) The New Testament is the narrative and exhortations concerning salvation by grace through faith in Messiah Jesus alone. It expands Abraham’s faith beyond Moses’ Commandments and adds “atonement for sin” through belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah.

“Today, recognize and keep in mind that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other. Keep His statutes and commands, which I am giving to you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper and so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” Deuteronomy 4:39-40 (HCSB)

The 5th commandment is the only commandment with a direct promise: Honor your father and mother, and you will live long in the land the Lord is giving you. It almost stands alone among the other commandments, like a bookend without its mate.

To me, the 5th commandment always seemed void of the responsibility of parents. That is, how can children honor their parents unless the parents train them up rightly? I often wondered why the 5th commandment didn’t say, “Parents, teach your children well, and children, honor your parents by obeying them.”

If the 5th commandment needs another bookend to complete the set, that bookend is found in today’s verse.

God is saying that when parents keep His statutes and commands, their children will follow. He uses the words “so that,” which conveys “cause and effect.”

Notice how God isn’t directing the parents to simply relay His standard by mere words. He wants parents to LIVE His statutes and commands.

Have you ever heard the saying: “Do as I say, not as I do”? Many parents will take their kids to church and tell them to honor God. All the while, those same parents pursue worldly affections. And parents wonder why their kids won’t seek God.

I say it often, but problems in the families of believers are not necessarily ones concerning the lack of Biblical information. The problems involve the lack of VALUE for Biblical information. Few of us really have a hard time understanding what the Bible says. We have a hard time DOING what the Bible says. The parent/hypocrite is the worst enemy of the next generation.

The 5th commandment assumes parents are modeling God’s standard; thus, the responsibility is on the children to follow suit. It also makes a profound statement that even if your parents dishonor you and the Lord by withholding from you the value of following God, it is still incumbent upon you to honor Him, independent of the quality of parenting you received.

In doing so, you honor your parents by “covering” their failings. God honors that kind of humility.

“‘Go to the top of Pisgah and look to the west, north, south, and east, and see it with your own eyes, for you will not cross this Jordan. But commission Joshua and encourage and strengthen him, for he will cross over ahead of the people and enable them to inherit this land that you will see." So we stayed in the valley facing Beth-Peor.’” Deuteronomy 3:27-29 (HCSB)

It has been said that success is defined by the successor. That is, it’s not enough to create a big organization. The true test of ministry success is whether you can build something that would thrive in your absence. Every organization that is dependent on a founder/leader’s charisma must cope with the eventual absence/extraction of its charismatic leader.

Healthy organizations are built on principles, products, ideals, and ideas that are bigger than any particular leader.

One scenario that is particularly tense is how a leader copes with their eventual passing. Do they mentor a young leader, pick an older colleague as a successor, or leave the organization unfit for the future? This was Moses’ test. The Lord told him he would die soon, and Joshua would succeed him.

Remember how God told Abraham he would not enter the land, but His offspring would? Abraham trusted the Lord. For him, simply knowing the future was the same as living it. He died in peace.

On the other hand, Saul knew David was anointed as his successor. Saul did not delight in God’s provision for Israel. He wanted his son Jonathan to be king and even rebuked Jonathan for accepting David’s eventual kingship. So, Saul tried to kill David.

At the time of Jesus’ birth, Herod tried to prevent Messiah from reigning by murdering the male babies in Bethlehem.

Moses had to decide to either honor the Lord or give himself over to envy. The Lord told Moses that Joshua would accomplish Moses’ dream: Joshua would lead Israel into Canaan. Furthermore, God also commanded Moses to encourage and strengthen Joshua.

It is a testimony of Moses’ humility that he obeyed the Lord. Standing on top of Mount Pisgah was enough for Moses to see the future…a prosperous future without Moses. By the way, it is impossible to view the entire Promised Land from where Moses stood. (Believe me, I’ve been there many times.) So, the Lord must have enabled Moses to see (as Abraham was enabled) what is impossible for men.

Christian leaders must set their hearts on the betterment of the community of believers (above personal agendas) to ensure the next generation thrives in the Lord.